Sales of Taiwanese Irwin mangoes in the Chinese market are on the up this year, with high prices across the country’s fruit sector opening opportunities and expanded distribution providing new channels for sales.
Inflation of food prices in China mean Taiwanese mangoes may be more competitive against local produce, although Dr William Chang from Taiwan’s largest mango exporter, Lytone Enterprise, warned competition will be hot for consumers’ attention.
The expansion of home delivery services is one of the key new developments this season. A home delivery service launched last year by the government of Pingtung County, Taiwan’s southern mango production hub, has expanded from Japan, Hong Kong and the domestic Taiwanese market to also cover Shanghai this year. The county government has also taken out a series of ads promoting the service in the Morningstar, one of Shanghai’s largest newspapers.
The Pingtung programme joins a number of private home delivery services taking orders this year, said Dr Chang.
“There are plenty of companies trying to take orders for their own home-delivery service,” he told Fruitnet.com. “Even Sogo department stores are now taking orders for their own customers. I guess it will help relieve the pressure if all of a sudden the mangos were all harvested together in one week.”
In contrast, however, the Japanese market is looking uncertain this year.
“So far, the message is rather confused,” explained Dr Chang. “Some will say the market has definitely shrunk. Others may argue that fresh produce imports have increased over 20 per cent since the earthquake, to fill in the vacuum created by the loss of Japanese farms near the nuclear power plant.”
Transport costs for imports have also risen, but despite the uncertainty he said Taiwanese fruit promotional programmes will go ahead as usual this year.
Taiwan’s mango crop this year is expected to run around two weeks behind 2010’s harvest, with cold weather holding back both the timing and volumes.
